


blooming bruises

by nin_jin



Category: Original Work
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Blood and Violence, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Original Character(s), Past Relationship(s), Past Violence, Polyamorous relationship, Poor Life Choices
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-06 06:35:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17934653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nin_jin/pseuds/nin_jin
Summary: Through all the bad Tony had dragged Harrison through, he was still by his side.Harrison deserved so much more.With this new job, Tony was gonna change that.At least, that’s what he thought to justify it to himself.





	1. what's the tea, pussycat

**Author's Note:**

> this is just for my boyes, i didnt know where else to post this kjafbkajsf

“Shit!” The man hissed as hurried off the bus, adjusting his bow tie as he rushed off to the tall, ornate office building a block away.

As always, the universe had taken the liberty of making job hunting hell. He had three interviews back to back, all of them light-years away from each other.

The blond nearly threw the doors open as he ran into the building. The sharply dressed woman at the front desk glanced up at him through her glasses, looking him over once, then went back to typing.

She seemed unimpressed. Or uninterested. Or, both.

_Pop._

Yeah, by the way she’d popped her gum, it was both.

The man slowed his run over to the counter, “Am I too late?” He asked, resting his hands on his knees as he bowed to catch his breath.

He needed to exercise more.

He wouldn't, but he should.

The women raised a neatly plucked eyebrow at him, “I’m guessing you’re the 7 o'clock?” She asked, his nervous nod confirming her theory.

The man could feel the restraint she used to not roll her eyes at him. “It’s 6:36. Take a seat by that door.” She stood, then pointed to a room down the hall, a line of chairs led the way.

The frazzled man ran his scarred hand through his ash blond hair as he trotted over to the simple, minimalist chairs.

Poor Harrison would have a fit if he saw how wind blown his hair had become, they’d gotten up so early just to make it looked nice and professional. So much for that.

At least this was the last interview he had today, he told himself. Being out and about in the public was beyond exhausting.

The blond plopped down in the chair that resided closest to the door, seeing as every other chair was empty.

Huh. He must’ve caught them at a good time.

That raised his spirits a little.

His tiny glint of hope was quickly shot down many times over as a well-groomed older male, much more suave and attractive than he himself was, came and gracefully sat himself down in the chair to his left.

The newcomer was practically _oozing_ confidence.

The man wore a typical black suit, which we tailored to show off his fit and trim physique. His graying, mousy brown hair was gelled into a perfect wave, a few meticulously placed strands fell in front of his forehead which tied his business casual look all together.

He himself wore a regular navy two-piece suit, his blazer unbuttoned. He outfit was accented by an old wine colored bow-tie he'd borrowed from someone in his past. He'd never been able to give it back to the man it belonged to.

Incidentally, it was the fanciest, most expensive item of clothing he owned.

Sitting next to that much radiance and charisma was god's way of telling a practical joke.

If he were a smarter man, he would’ve just gotten up and left, accepting defeat. Instead, he gave the man a friendly smile and a nod. The other man flashed him a blinding smile in return, seemingly unfazed by his appearance.

“Hey! I'm Manuel. Everyone calls me Manny.” The well-groomed man held out his hand, his skin a warm, rich olive color. Much like his skin, he paled in comparison to Manuel.

“Tony.” He replied politely, keeping it short and sweet. Tony shook the man’s hand, keeping their eye contact to a minimum.

“So, this your first rodeo?” Manuel asked, looking the Tony over. If he wasn’t self-conscious before, he definitely was now.

“It's the third. For today.” He said, embarrassment looming over him.

“Gee. That’s rough, buddy. I’ve been there plenty-a times.” He clapped Tony on the back reassuringly. Tony appreciated the gesture, though his skin crawled at the contact.

“There’s so many ‘for hire’ signs in this city, you’d think /one/ place would be hiring.” Tony seemed to deflate a little bit, falling more into his chair.

“Well, you must be new around here.” The man looked him over once again. “You can always tell when someone’s new to the city.” He chuckled, knowingly. “People around here don’t tend to hire people from out of town you know. We keep it local.”

Tony blinked. “I uh, well, uhm. That’s good to know.” He hated the idea of people being able to read him so easily. He felt too exposed.

He began to rub at his arms as if he were cold. All subconsciously of course, a force of habit. He only did it when felt uncomfortable.

There was a pause before Tony spoke again.

“I think if I were abducted by aliens right now, I’d feel more at home there than I do here. Maybe I’d finally get a job too.”

Manuel blinked slowly at him.

Then laughed abruptly. The aged corners of his eyes wrinkled.

“You make me laugh, Tony.” He pat said man's back once again. Tony hadn’t realized Manuel had snaked his arm around him.

There was a lull in the conversation before Manuel noticed the yellow envelope Tony was holding onto. “Is that your resume?” He asked, plucking the documents from the blond’s scarred hand.

“Hey, what happened to your hands?” Manuel asked as he opened the envelope to snoop at Tony’s resume.

“I got in a fight with a knife and lost.” Tony joked, though his tone was flat. Manuel laughed anyways.

The aged brunet scanned over the resume, looking more confused by the second. “You sure did a lot of odd jobs, I'd say you're pretty qualified, so what's the deal? Criminal record?” He seemed confused.

Tony frowned. “People don’t like my scars.” He said, pulling his blazer a little more snugly against himself, as if to hide. Manuel looked him over, “Scars? The one’s on your hands, you mean?” He asked.

Tony looked forward, not meeting the man’s gaze. He raised his thumb to his cheek and swiped his foundation away, revealing the light pink, reflective surface of one of his scars. “I’m covered in ‘em. Like tick bites.” He said… Which was incidentally the most country bumpkin thing he could say.

Manuel perked up, “Let me see.” He said, cupping the young man's face. Tony looked at him in shock. He began wiping away the make up, exposing the scars and the freckles that'd been concealed.

Manuel's eyes narrowed, turning Tony's head this way and that. Tony was horrified.

“The fuck!?” He squawked indignantly, pulling his face out of Manuel’s calloused hands. Shit! Now he’d have to hurry off to go re-apply the makeup. He was terrible at it!

The brunet seemed unfazed by his outburst, but still seemed surprised nonetheless. “Whoa.” Was all he could seem to say.

Tony felt hot tears of embarrassment and anger well up in the corners of his eyes. He shot up to leave, only for Manuel to stop him.

The man’s cocky demeanor had faded, replaced by one of concern. “Hey, kid. It’s alright.” He cooed, as if calming a frightened animal.

Tony couldn't believe the nerve of this fuck, but he seemingly couldn’t get a word out. Manuel took the opportunity to slip a piece of paper into the hand he'd grabbed. 

Tony looked down at the card, his hands shaking, if only a little.

His eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

“Manuel Or-!?” Manuel shushed him, not wanting to draw any attention to them.

Manuel Ortega was not the man he’d come to do the interview with. No. But, he was the man that owned the entire damn company. Not to mention half the city. This guy's name was all over the place.

Tony was floored.

He didn’t know what to think… so he didn’t. “Uh. Uhm. I, uh. Aha.” He stammered, unsure of what to say.

Manuel simply seemed amused. With the lanky blond’s hand in his own, he lead him into the office.

Their conversation went about as normal as you’d expect.

Not very.

Manuel had proposed a deal, promising him a job if he adhered to it.

It would only happen occasionally… Tony worried his lip as he through things over.

He and Harrison had busted their asses working to get enough money to get Tony into a college. Harrison had gotten a job in a city, a city they thought they’d never go back to, but the pay was too good to refuse.

Sadly, Harrison wouldn’t start working for another couple of months, meaning they’d been living off the tuition money they’d saved up.

This would give them both a big sigh of relief, Tony finally decided.

He nodded, agreeing to the deal.

Sex wasn’t too much to ask for to get a good paying job with benefits in return, right?

People would think he was insane, but despite his appearance, Tony really wasn't that interested in the guy. There was something about him that just rubbed him the wrong way.

 

Boohoo, he thought. He'd just have to tough it out. For Harrison.

His mind ran a mile a minute as the man's lips smashed into his own.

With their lips locked, Manuel pushed Tony onto the desk, sending things clattering to the floor. There was a hungry, cold look in his once warm, honey colored eyes.

Tony’s breath caught in his throat. Something about this man was _very_ wrong.

Well, shit.

…

Tony smoothed his white button up down in the mirror as Manuel cracked the window to smoke.

Manuel didn’t bother getting redressed, he simply leaned back in his chair and watched as Tony preened himself.

“Listen, kid. Don't stress so much, if you wanted a job, you got one.” Puffs of smoke escaped Manny’s lips as he spoke.

Tony mustered up a grateful smile Manuel's way, “I don’t know how to thank you.” He straightened out his bow-tie.

Manuel took a drag of his cigarette as he regarded Tony, “I think you already did.” He grinned, flashing gold-capped fangs as smoke bellowed out from his nostrils.

Tony felt a cold chill go down his spine. Manuel noticed, and grinned wider.

 _What a fucking freak_. Why did he get himself into situations like this?

He wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t get himself into some kind of trouble, he supposed.

“Come in tomorrow, 10 o’clock, same place.” Manuel blew out another puff of smoke, the tendrils of the cloud seeped out of the window, almost as if it were trying to escape.

“You got it, chief.” Tony replied, feeling numb.

He walked out of the door with a slight limp and closed it behind him. The woman at the desk almost looked at him with sympathy.

Almost.

Tony muttered on his way to the bus stop. “Same shit, different town.”

He luckily caught the bus he needed right on time and plopped himself down in the seat closest to the door, he hated standing. He was always afraid if the bus stopped too fast he’d be the only one who’d go flying out the windshield and everyone aboard would just roll their eyes and say something like ‘Stupid tourist’.

After spotting a mother and her child without a seat, he sighed. He offered up his seat for them and they bustled over, thanking him.

Welp, standing it is.

He spent the rest of the ride terrified, wanting to cling to the bar for dear life. God knows what kind of diseases were on that thing though.

Tony practically sprinted off the bus as it reached his stop. He couldn’t be more excited to be home.

He felt a smile spread across his face as he reached their apartment door. He opened it with their key that must be as old, if not older, than himself.

“Honey, I’m home!” He called as he walked in. Oh. The lights were off.

Damn, Harrison must be off haggling prices down at the docks. That’s where the farmer’s market was. Getting food from the farmer’s market had really helped them stay frugal.

He really missed hamburgers, though. He can’t remember the last time he was able to make Harrison’s favorite burger.

Maybe after he got his first paycheck he could take Harrison out to dinner for once.

He let out a sigh, slightly disappointed there was no- Harrison?

“SURPRISE!” Harrison cried out as the light flickered on. He ran over and pulled the lanky man into a tight hug, the gesture quickly returned.

Tony buried his face into Harrison’s hair, feeling the stress roll off his shoulders.

“Soooo… How’d it go, handsome?” Harrison asked, pulling back only enough to get a look at Tony’s tired face.

Tony laid a quick peck onto Harrison’s cheek, his breath minty and cold against his skin. “Not too good… Looks like we’ll have to pack up and live in the sedan.” He joked.

Harrison gave him an unamused look, only for a moment. “We’ve done it once, we can do it again. I call dibs on decorating.” He said, ruffling Tony’s clearly unkempt hair,

“Hey- You got to decorate the car last time!” Tony pouted playfully as he flopped down onto one of two beanbags in the living room. They were low on furniture and they both agreed that bean bags were necessary.

“Well, are you really not gonna tell me?” “Oh. I think I got a job.” “You think?” “Yeah. It’s some boring office job, but I think the pay is supposed to be pretty good. Y’know, for now. Then I’ll go off and be an astronaut or whatever.”

Harrison huffed a laugh. “Are you ever gonna grow up?” He asked.

“Why would _we_ go and do something crazy like that?” Tony asked, pulling Harrison down onto his lap.

He loved hugging his boyfriend, it was like hugging a teddy bear. He was squishy in all the right places.

Sadly, he’d been losing weight due to their budget and now half of his clothes didn’t even fit him.

Harrison sighed happily and laid a kiss to the underside of Tony’s chin. “I’m real proud of you, babe. I know that shit ain’t easy.”

“Tell me about it- Heyyy.” Tony whined as Harrison moved to stand up.

“Hold on.” Harrison ran off to the kitchenette, then walked back into the living room, holding a small, but well-meaning lava cake.

“Happy birthday, baby!” Harrison cheered. When did he put the party hat on?

Tony was caught off guard. “Uh, what?”

“Happy birthday!” Harrison repeated, putting the plate onto Tony’s lap.

“Birthday? But I had that last year.” Tony joked as he finally caught on.

Today was his birthday… Dang. That sucks.

“If I didn’t love you, I’d toss you out that window. You’re stealing all my good lines.” Harrison huffed and kissed Tony’s forehead, hopping onto his own beanbag.

“I don’t see your name on them.” Tony stuck his tongue out playfully, then he looked down at the small lava cake.

“Did you get this from-“ “Domino’s, yeah.”

“Did you almost-“ “Burn the entire apartment down trying to make you a cake? Yeah.”

“You’re so good to me, babe.” Tony smiled meaningfully at Harrison.

They weren’t where they wanted to be, not right now. They used moving boxes as their tables and usually kept everything electric turned off, including the air conditioning. The only upsides of being here was that they had a roof over their heads and had a good view from their rickety apartment building’s balcony.

It was a good thing Tony loved the rain, seeing as it rained a lot here. Almost every day, in fact. It almost made him feel more at home here. The steady thumps of the rain would complement the steady rhythm of Harrison’s heartbeat as he slept.

Tony still seldom slept, but at least he would get to lay in Harrison’s arms all night as they laid on their mattress that resided on the floor of their bedroom, the room awash in a murky, midnight blue. Moonlight would seep in through their broken blinds and grace Harrison’s peaceful, soft features.

The sight always made him feel a bit melancholy.

Through all the bad Tony had dragged Harrison through, he was still by his side.

Harrison deserved so much more.

With this new job, Tony was gonna change that.

At least, that’s what he thought to justify it to himself.

“Yeah, I know.” Harrison grinned at him cheekily, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Now hurry and make a wish, and don’t tell me what it is!” He ushered Tony along.

Tony hadn’t even noticed the candle in the cake, but there it was, would you look at that.

He took a deep breath, being as dramatic as possible, then blew out the candle with the tiniest puff.

Harrison groaned, “You’re as bad as me! There’s only room for one dumbass. C’mere!” He tackled Tony into a hug.

Tony, having the foresight of being with Harrison for so long, placed the cake onto the moving box they used for a table and caught Harrison in his arms as they tumbled off the beanbag together.

“Oof- Babe, one day you’re gonna- Ah, stop it! One day you’re gonna do that I’m gonna be so old that I just snap in half.” Tony giggled as Harrison repeatedly kissed him all over his face.

“Like a glow stick?” “I was thinking more of a Slim Jim, but glow stick works.” “Nah, I like Slim Jims… Are you-“ “Psychotically hungry? Yeah.” “Good, I got pizza.” “From Dominos?” “What do you think I am, an idiot- Actually, don’t answer that.”

Harrison ran off, again, only to come back moments later with a pizza from Papa John’s.

Tony picked himself up and walked over, eyeing the pizza hungrily. “What would I be without you?”

“Hungrier.” Harrison quipped and snagged a piece after Tony got the first pick.

“I love you, babe.” Harrison says, mouth full of pizza.

“I know.” Tony grinned, ready to take another bite.


	2. What's New, Bussycat?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their eyes met.
> 
> Again.
> 
> For the first time in a long time.
> 
> “Peter.” Tony breathed out, despite his breath getting caught in his throat.

As predicted, the rain had come again in the early morning, tapping lightly against the bedroom's only window that loomed just above their heads.

The sound would lull most people to sleep, others would groan and complain that they would have to run around in the rain on their way to work in the morning. However, Tony loved the rain, something about it was like a breath of fresh air.

He was the type of guy to just stay up and just listen to it as it drizzled down onto the never sleeping city. Always busy, even at night. His mind would often wander off and create a fantastical tale of a city goer trapped in the rain, running around the streets and the narrow alleyways.

The rain had a way of catching the neon lights that made it easy for him to get lost in his daydreams.

Tony readjusted himself in Harrison’s arms with a yawn before smacking his lips sleepily and rubbing his cheek against the resting man’s chest.

Harrison was his home. No matter how far the distance, no matter the years that came and passed, he’d long since decided this would always be his home.

The steady and rhythmic _thump-thump_ ing that originated from his love’s heart was always a welcomed sound. It was like Harrison had encapsulated everything he loved about the rain. Or maybe Harrison was the reason he thought about it.

Being around Harrison put him at an ease that no one else could do. Nothing but the rain had that calming power over him.

Tony didn’t often rest this way, he typically preferred to spread all his lanky limbs out in a pose Harrison had loving called ‘The Starfish’. Tony wasn’t a graceful sleeper like his boyfriend, he snored and drooled and woke up with the craziest cases of bedhead. Harrison seemingly loved that about him.

Fool, Tony thought with a smile as his unnaturally blue eyes began to slip close…

 _Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap._ “ _…She keeps her Moet et Chandon_ ,” The alarm sounded, the beginnings of Killer Queen by Queen began to play through the speaker of Harrison’s phone.

Tony mocked a sob as he went limp. God damn it. Now he’d have to get up and face the world.

He’d have to make himself presentable, unfortunately. Even if he had a crippling anxiety that encompassed him anytime he thought about the public eye, he was just so emotionally and physically exhausted that he could walk out in his pajamas (bunny slippers and all) and not give a _fuck._

“Harry, babe.” He whined, shaking Harrison’s shoulder. His sleeping love’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment before his almond colored eyes cracked open. He said something unintelligible as his eyes slipped closed once again. Tony huffed.

He rolled off the bed, Harrison groaned and rolled over onto his side, curling in on the warmth Tony had left behind. Lucky, Tony pouted.

Now, there were many things about Tony that kept him an enigma, even to himself. For example, this:

As he reached to turn the phone off, the song playing began to glitch and jump around, even playing in reverse.

Tony frowned and quickly retracted his hand. He didn’t want to be the cause of another broken phone.

He looked down at his watch, which had been a gift from He Who Will Not Be Named and let out a _tch_. Thirty minutes. That’d enough time, he told himself as he hurried off to the bathroom.

The ending of Killer Queen trailed after him as he shut the door. That was a problem for Harrison to deal with.

…

He checked his hair on the way out. Shit. Fuck. He hadn’t brushed it. He ran his fingers through it to flatten it out in any way possible. He looked down at his watch and cursed.

Whatever, fuck it. Maybe big and messy was the look these days.

It was another day of running to make it in on time, he really needed to set his alarms earlier.

He ran past the receptionist with a quick ‘Hello, good morning!’ Which was returned with much less enthusiasm.

Unlike his time here yesterday, the place was packed. What a great first impression.

He burst into the room he and Manuel had gone to have their, uh, ‘discussion’ yesterday, only to find it occupied by the man he was supposed to have his interview with the day before.

“Tony, right? He’s up in the penthouse. Obviously.” The man didn’t bother looking up from his computer’s screen.

“Obviously.” Tony’s shoulders dropped as he turned right back around and made a break for the elevator. It was cramped, but he crammed himself in. He got a few dirty looks he’d care more about later, right now he was focused on not making a bad impression on the guy it mattered to.

Slowly, the occupants of the elevator began to file out more and more as the elevator continued along it’s skyward, set path. Eventually, he could see more and more of the elevator and he _hated_ it.

It was all see through. The floor, the walls. He could see the miniscule dots racing along the narrow streets underneath his feet, which to his horror were _cars_.

He squeezed his eyes shut and hugged his briefcase to his chest.

Of fucking course. Every bad guy had to reside on a penthouse in a tall building.

Only a man truly fucked in the head would make their elevators see through.

It felt like hours since he’d first stepped on the elevator, but he’d finally made it to Manuel’s floor. Thank god. He rushed to the door and practically threw himself at Manuel, who’d come to greet him himself.

“There you are! I was beginning to wonder if you’d show up- Whoa!” The man’s suave smile dropped and was replaced with surprise as he suddenly had an armful of Tony.

The blond backed off with a relieved, tired smile. “Sorry, I just, uh. I don’t do heights.” He let out a nervous laugh as he brushed a stray lock of hair back into place.

Manuel’s eyes narrowed as he laughed good naturedly. “I should’ve warned you about that, sorry, kid.” He wrapped his arm around Tony’s shoulders. Although the younger man was a few inches taller than him, it was clear who was pulling the strings in this scenario.

As they reached Manuel’s desk, which had been converted into a mini-bar, he ran down what Tony’s job would be exactly. Most days, Tony would be working down in the offices in his own cubicle, but two days out of the week, he’d be he with Manuel. He’d been needing a personal assistant, he said.

Yeah right, more like you wanted a fuck buddy, Tony thought. Maybe he had a thing for scars, he wondered. His thoughts began to wander as Manuel droned on about the specifics.

“And! I’ll let you decorate your cubicle any way you want. How’s that sound?” Manny said with an enthusiastic grin, those hidden fangs flashing in the low lighting.

“Can I bring my cat?” “Nope.” “Worth a shot.”

Kirk, his lovely cat, was currently off on an adventure. Tony never worried. Kirk was beyond smart, smarter than he himself was he bet, and would always come back home to him at the seemingly right times.

“For today I’d like your company. Come on over here.” Manuel spoke, gracefully placing himself in his typical, villainesque type of chair. Tony wondered where he was meant to sit- Oh. Yep. Okay.

When he moved to the city with his amazing, loving boyfriend he didn’t _exactly_ see himself sitting in the literal lap of luxury, but here he was. Sitting on the wealthiest man in the cities’ lap.

Tony wrapped one of his arms around Manuel’s shoulders to keep his balance, Manuel kept his wide palm against the ash blond’s thin waist.

They talked a little back and forth as Manny focused on writing an email. He wasn’t allowed to see, it was confidential or something.

Twenty bucks said it was a hit man. Or something.

Tony didn’t remember when he began to rest his head on Manuel’s shoulder, he only noticed as he’d nodded off. His head and slipped down too far and he’d jumped, shocking himself back to the waking world.

“Tired?” Manny asked, sparing a glance at Tony. Despite the warm demeanor, his honey colored pools were cold. Hardened.

Tony resisted the urge to just get up and leave. “Little bit, I didn’t really get a lot of sleep. Just -ha- nerves, I guess.” Tony spoke quietly, his gaze drawn down to the intricate patterning of the man’s suit.

It reminded him of a fancy rug from his grandma’s house, god rest her soul.

“Go ahead and sleep, this email will take a while, kiddo.” Manuel spoke with his typical suave flair, but he seemed strained. Must be an intense back and forth between a competitor.

Or maybe he was talking to his drug dealer.

You never know.

Tony leaned his head back down onto Manny’s shoulder, trying not to seem too tense. If he closed his eyes and ignored the dizzying smell of fancy cologne, he could imagine Harrison.

Those gorgeous jet-black locks that caught the sun’s light with a blueish hue… The way the rectangular frame of his glasses would rest against the rounded edges of his face.

Since he’d lost so much weight, he’d become more angular and Tony found he loved Harrison in any sharp or form. He was always perfect.

Tony had fallen asleep with the smallest hint of a smile on his face.

…

One moment he was dreaming of a lost love, the next, he’d been thrown out of his dream just as he’d been thrown to the ground.

“Ack- Ow! My ass…” Tony hissed as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. He glared blearily up at Manuel.

Oh. He was _pissed._

Guess that email didn’t go over well.

“Hurry and get up, we’re headed out.” Manuel didn’t even bother looking down at him, his cold demeanor rising back to the surface.

Tony knew better than to argue. He stood, then rubbed his sore backend. Ow.

“What part of _hurry_ don’t you understand?” Manuel spit out, roughly grabbing onto Tony’s arm as he marched them both over to Manuel’s personal elevator. It was as lavish as one would expect. Spacious as well.

It reminded him of a pimped out panic room.

“Hey- Whoa, why the rush?” Tony tried, following along with his longer strides.

The once suave man’s hair had begun to fall from its perfectly placed wave. He could see the sweat beginning to form on Manuel’s aging forehead. Why was he so worked up? Was the building about to blow up or something?

“Can’t you tell me what’s going on, man?” Tony tried again, attempting to pull his arm from the other man’s hold. Manuel let go, his hand going up to swipe his hair back into place.

The man ignored him as he closed the doors to the elevator. Tony could practically see the wheels turning in his head. He was nervous.

Manuel? Nervous? Shit. Now he was nervous.

Tony raised his thump to his lips as he began to chew on his already shortened nail.

Manuel pulled out his own personal cell phone, calling for a lock down.

“Lock down?” Tony said aloud, clamping his hands over his mouth after Manny gave him a nasty look.

Hours passed, for real this time. Tony only knew it’s been hours and not eons because he wouldn’t stop looking down at his watch.

Eventually, Manuel seemed to lighten up. He turned to Tony, who’d moved to lean his back against a corner. With a smile, he clapped his hands together. “You okay, buddy? I know it was scary, but I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you.” He held his arms out, inviting Tony back over.

Tony did so, only because he had a feeling he couldn’t refuse. “What happened, why are we in lock down?” He asked, letting Manny fix his wild blond locks.

“Just another crazy person with a gun, I told the guys opening up one of the offices near a bank was a bad idea.” He said, easing Tony’s hair back with his wide palm.

This man was dangerous. Manuel was a dangerous man because it would be so hard for someone to hate him. He just had that way about him.

Serial killers are like that too, aren’t they? He’d watched a lot of documentaries, he was sure this guy was in the mafia or something. Yikes.

Manuel sighed and flopped himself back onto the plush couch, (Yes, couch), and beckoned the younger man closer, then pointed down.

Tony got the idea. He kneeled between Manuel’s legs and looked up at him as he continued to pet his hair. He’d flipped his bangs back. He liked the slicked back style? Yeah, uh huh. This guy had to be in the mafia.

“Bet this will be a day to remember, huh?” Manuel chuckled, running his thumb over Tony’s scarred brow.

Tony wasn’t sure if he was supposed to respond. Honestly, he’d had _much_ crazier days. I mean, just look at him. The man hasn’t seen a normal day in years.

He skipped the small talk and moved to unzip Manuel’s pants. Manuel grinned, resting his hand against Tony’s head.

Please don’t throw up, please don’t throw up, Tony begged internally.

_BOOM._

The elevator shook.

Oh shit.

_Bang. Bang. Bang. **CRASH!**_

Someone or something had beaten the door open.

There was a tense pause.

Then there was a comical _zip_ as Tony pulled Manny’s zipper down the rest of the way.

_Oh, no fucking way._

Their eyes met.

Again.

For the first time in a long time.

“Peter.” Tony breathed out, despite his breath getting caught in his throat.

…

“God damn it, it’s that fuckin’ queer!” One of the drunken teens called, tossing one of their half-emptied booze bottles at the blond from their group.

A younger, much less scarred Tony glared at the leader of the shitheads. “The fuck you want, Jim?” He spat. This tiny, nowhere town outside of Milwaukee was miniscule. So small that even he, a socially inept teen, knew everyone. They were all more or less regulars at the diner he’d been working at.

“I want you and that gay shit Harrison out of my town! If I had a choice, I’d tie you and that fag to the back of my truck and drag ya’ll to the woods and use ya’ll as target practice.” The teen shouted, stumbling over to yell in Tony’s face.

Tony grit his teeth, glaring daggers at the other male. One drunk wasn’t hard to knock down, but a whole group? He was just a scrawny twig, he wasn’t exactly made for to hold his own in a fight.

“Fuck. you.” Tony jabbed his finger twice into the redhead’s chest. “If I had a fucking choice I wouldn’t be stuck here with you backwoods, redneck, inbred, fuck wits!” He yelled.

 _Pow_.

Jim packed a punch for a guy who immediately fell back onto his ass after throwing it. Tony held his cheek, the stinging pain made tears well up in his powdery blue eyes.

Tony took the opportunity to kick Jim back to his group, which was the wrong move.

The redheaded teen grabbed onto the other’s leg and pulled him down to his level. The several inches of snow covering the ground flew like powder to the wind as it was disturbed from their movements.

The blond grit his teeth and went for a punch so that Jim would let him go. He’d aimed straight for his gut, knocking the wind out of him. He’d hit so hard the other teen had turned his head and thrown up into the once pure white snow.

The group of friends Jim had with him had come to his rescue. They pulled the redhead back up while they crowded around and began literally kicking Tony while he was down.

Tony could only do his best to protect his head with his arms and curl up to avoid hits to his ribs. He could already feel the bruises beginning to blossom along his lanky limbs.

There was one well placed kick and he could _feel_ his lower rib crack. He let out a muffled cry of pain into the crisp air, crying out again after the same spot had been kicked. Motherfuckers.

Then, there was a struggle. He could hear Jim and the rest of those little shits attempting to fight, but it was over as soon as it’s started.

There was a gentle touch to his shoulder, he flinched but looked up to see who it was. It was a shrouded figure, wearing some type of costume?

The most Tony could make out under the light of the street lamp was a distinct pair of white lensed goggles.

“Can you get up?” The figure asked.

Baffled was a good word to describe how he felt. “… Uh. What? What… Who are you?” Tony asked, moving to unfurl himself. Wrong move.

Yep, his ribs stung like he’d just been drop kicked. That was probably the case.

“I’m gonna pick you up, okay? Hold onto me if you can.” The figure remained steadfast, ignoring Tony’s obvious confusion.

“Nononono, don’t touch me- Ow, motherfucker!” Tony cursed, his cracked rib disagreed with the jarring movement of being scooped up and pressed against the other male’s chest. Being this close to the stranger, Tony could feel the muscles and the strength this guy was wielding.

No wonder this guy kicked everyone’s asses in under five seconds.

The alleyway between the theater and the strip mall began to get further and further away as the mysterious stranger carried him away. Tony could only stare in wonderment as he saw where his attackers had ended up.

Each of them had been thrown up against the wall and held in awkward positions with a seemingly giant spider web.

Tony’s gaze slowly focused back on the vigilante’s masked face.

“Why did you help me?”

“You were in trouble” Duh. His head turned to look at the bruised blond, if only a little.

_Sniff._

Tony suppressed a quiet sniffle as he nuzzled into the crook of the other male’s neck, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. “Thank you…” He choked out, warm tears building and falling down his cheek. Even if he talked big, violence wasn’t for him. It terrified him.

The vigilante went stiff, “Y-yeah, it’s no problem.” His once monotone voice cracked.

The blond had fallen asleep in the other teen’s arms after some time, not able to keep his eyes open after the adrenaline wore off. For the first time in a long time he felt safe.

He’d later learned the vigilante who’d saved his sorry ass had been called _‘The Spider’_.

…

**_BANG._ **

Tony’s eyes widened.

 _‘The Spider’_ had just blown Manuel Ortega’s brains out.


	3. What's New, Kittycat?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Better get used to it buddy, you’re stuck with me from here on out!” The black-haired teen called from the window of his old man’s car as Tony began to walk to the gravel driveway of his trailer park house.
> 
> “That a promise!?” Tony called back from where he stood.
> 
> “You know it!” Harrison called, waving as Tony waved his farewell from his dimly-lit porch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is mostly in harrison's pov this time around

“ _What_?” Harrison stilled the hand he’d been chopping vegetables with, moving instead to pick up the phone.

Tony had called him, talking a mile a minute. He hadn’t understood a single word his love had said so far.

“Yeah! He fucking-“ The other side became unintelligible static.

“Babe, calm down! It’s doing the thing again.” Harrison crossed his arm across his chest and rested his palm against his other arm, the phone in his other hand had been raised to his ear.

“I’m calm. I’m cool.” Tony’s shaking voice came from the fading static, a deep breath was taken.

“Okay, good. Start back from the beginning.” Harrison leaned his back against the kitchen’s island.

“I ran into Peter!” Tony whisper yelled, as though he were trying and failing to tell a secret.

Harrison shook his head in shock as if he’d just been whip-lashed. “The fuck?”

“That’s what I said!”

“What did he say?” Harrison frowned.

“He didn’t say anything! He just took off!” Tony’s cool was fading fast.

“He did _what_!?”

There was a pause.

Then the call disconnected.

Tony must’ve run out of change for the payphone.

Harrison huffed, going back to chopping his vegetables. He felt a painful tug at his heart, thinking about their past love. That’s exactly what it was. _Past_.

He felt angry, conflicted tears prick at the corner of his almond colored eyes, his chopping slowed.

It was only a matter of time before they’d run into Peter, he told himself.

Memories began to bubble to the surface, fading in and out like an unwelcomed, chilly breeze.

He and Tony had once been Peter’s whole world but once Peter got his first taste of the big city, he’d broken their hearts, left them behind, and never looked back.

Tony had never mentioned anything, but Harrison had noticed that he’d always do things with Peter in mind. He’d always been hopefully Peter would come back to him and it broke Harrison’s heart seeing Tony lose faith each passing day.

Tony never deserved the things that’d hurled themselves his way, never.

Harrison looked up to yellowed skylight above their kitchen’s island, letting the memories take hold of his mind as he waited for Tony to return home.

…

_It’s him!_

The black-haired teen quietly closed the skating rink’s doors behind him.

Harrison wasn’t one for the ice, he was more of a baseball kind of guy, but he wasn’t here for himself.

He watched as a familiar teenage boy skated past, his shaggy blond locks swayed with his momentum, those pale blue eyes tracking the puck with a sort of intense concentration.

He was completely oblivious to Harrison’s presents.

He looked out to the goal the blond was headed to and frowned. Why were there so many pucks just laying out on the rink so haphazardly? He almost shouted out to warn the other teen, but his voice died in his throat.

Kevin suddenly dodged and weaved through the pucks, maneuvering the puck he’d been so focused on through the obstacle course with speed and precision, not hitting a single other puck in the process.

Harrison found himself moving to the empty bleachers to watch, unaware of his actions as he’d become captivated.

As Kevin reached the goal, he lifted his hockey stick to swing and knocked the puck into the goal with a satisfying _whack!_

The blond threw his arms up in the air, holding his well-loved hockey stick above his head as he cheered victoriously.

The blond stopped dead in his tracks after he heard an single, echoed, enthusiastic applause.

He slowly tuned on the ice, cheeks already beginning to burn bright with embarrassment.

“That was so fucking sick, dude!” Harrison rushed over to the entrance of the rink.

The blond simply stared, his cheeks reddening.

“You good?” He asked, a good-natured smile still gracing his features.

“Y-Yeah, I… Didn’t actually think you’d actually come to see me.” The blond began to smile, shyly ducking his head down and holding his hockey stick at his side.

“Don't you remember? I told you I promised I would see you again, Kevi-“

“Tony.”

“What?”

“My name is Tony now.”

Harrison blinked. Then smiled.

“Tony. I like it.”

“Me too.” _Tony_ smiled, his pastel blue eyes narrowing fondly.

He made his way across the ice and over to Harrison. The black-haired teen stood just a few inches taller than Tony did, but with those skates on, they were just about the same height.

After a quick back and forth, somehow, Tony had managed to get Harrison to ice skate with him.

They then spent the rest of the afternoon trying to help Harrison learn how to ice skate, which he couldn’t do to save his life!

Harrison found it so ironic.

Tony had been the clumsiest guy he’d ever met, but on the ice, he was so graceful and confident in himself meanwhile Harrison was neither. He’d fallen on his ass and torn up his knees more times than he could count, luckily the ice numbed most of his pain.

Even if he’d be feeling it tomorrow, he decided he wouldn’t have spent his evening any other way.

Time had passed and eventually they’d left the ice rink a few minutes before it’d closed and Harrison had offered to drive Tony back home.

Once they'd reached the entrance to Tony's ' _neighborhood_ ', instead of leaving right away, Tony had proposed something.

He wanted to stargaze with Harrison, and who was he to say no?

“Tony?” Harrison asked, looking from the clear, star lit sky, to the blond.

“Yeah?” The blond answered, his gaze searching through the milky way.

“You’re weird.” Harrison said, Tony’s eyes finally meeting his own.

“I am?” Tony blinked, moving to lay his side against Harrison’s dad’s car hood and face towards the black haired teen.

“Yeah, but I like it. You’re like me.” He said, daring to reach his hand out to clasp the blond’s hand in his own. His almond colored eyes looked back up to the sky, a smile etched onto his lips.

Tony gave his hand a friendly squeeze in return.

They’d only met a couple weeks ago, but there was something about this friendship. Both of them could feel it. They both felt a strong pull towards each other, like the ring of asteroids that orbited around Saturn, or the waves of the ocean to the moon.

The cicadas sang their ballad with the crickets on that warm, summer’s night as they always did. It was a sound neither of them had lived without.

Neither of them wanted to leave, but if they didn’t, they’d have hell to pay.

“I really liked hanging out with you, Kev- Tony. But, I guess this is goodbye. For now.”

“Don’t say that.”

“Say what?”

“Goodbye. Goodbyes are forever.”

Normally, Harrison would laugh at the oddly serious tone Tony had suddenly picked up, but the look in Tony’s eyes stopped him in his tracks.

“Okay, okay. What should I say then?”

“Uhhh… Smell ya later…?” Tony tried, not very good at coming up with ideas on the spot.

Harrison burst into a fit of laughter. “Really?”

“Shut up!” Tony lightly shoved Harrison’s shoulder, a smile in his voice.

“Shit. Well uh, I really gotta get going, so smell ya later. Catch ya on the flip side!” Harrison gave a quick ‘Hang Loose’ hand gesture and snorted.

“God, I hate you.” Tony groaned, unable to hide his grin afterwards.

“Better get used to it buddy, you’re stuck with me from here on out!” The black-haired teen called from the window of his old man’s car as Tony began to walk to the gravel driveway of his trailer park house.

“That a promise!?” Tony called back from where he stood.

“You know it!” Harrison called, waving as Tony waved his farewell from his dimly-lit porch.

Harrison drove home, practically glowing the entire ride back. He’d cranked up his radio and sung his heart out. He didn’t know why but hanging out with Tony had really put the pep back in his step. He felt beyond recharged.

Maybe he’d go surprise Tony at practice again tomorrow.

Harrison smiled to himself. He’d like that.

…

The smile had carried onto his present-day self. He wondered what his past self would think if he could see them both now.

Harrison jumped as he heard loud footsteps rush towards their door and suddenly said door flung open.

Tony stood panting and huffing in the doorway, looking like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

Well. His past self would probably be beyond confused. And who could blame him?

The black-haired man rushed over to his love.

“Please tell me what happened, Tony.” He looked up and cupped Tony’s scarred, freckled face into his warm hands.

Tony calmed, if only a little. “Okay, well..! First thing’s first, I’m already out of the job! The Spider came fucking blew my boss’s brain out all over the-“ He backed away from Harrison to clap his hands over his mouth. He looked a little green in the face.

“Eugh.” He finally regained his composure long enough to speak again. “And _then_ , I ran into Peter! As if the day wasn’t fucked enough!” Harrison wasn’t sure, but Tony wasn’t being completely honest with him about something. He never looked into his eyes when he talked about Peter and it drove him crazy.

_What was he hiding?_

“Wait, so… You lost your job? Baby, I’m sorry.” He pulled Tony into a comforting hug. He didn’t mention Peter. He was supposed to be old news. He’d walked out of their lives, that was his loss.

Tony’s shoulder’s tensed as Harrison hugged him... then they began to shake.

The soft, muffled sobs that came from his love tugged at his heart strings. “Oh, Tony…” He sighed, running his fingers through the blond’s messy, unkempt hair.

He gently pushed Tony back so that he could close and lock the door, only stopping when he saw a familiar calico come slinking his way back into the apartment. “Right on time, boy.” He whispered, gently patting the feline’s head as he closed the door once and for all.

Tony held his arms out and the tom leapt into them, purring happily and enthusiastically butting his little tri-colored head against Tony’s tear stained face. Tony hugged the feline close, sniffling pathetically.

“I’m sorry. Y-you deserve so much better, Har.” Tony hiccuped, Kirk had began grooming his large human kitten’s hair. Harrison could _feel_ the self-hatred beginning to radiate off the man.

“Stop it.” Harrison’s brow furrowed.

Tony’s sad, unnaturally vivid blue eyes met his. They reminded him of a cloudy day at sea, the waves splashing and folding in on themselves, sending the sea foam to the distant, sandy shores.

“Do you know what I deserve?” He asked, moving to hold onto one of Tony’s free hands, the other was busy stroking Kirk’s fur.

Tony’s gaze searched for the answer in his own.

“I deserve to be happy. Any you know what? I am. After everything the world’s hurled at me… At us, at the end of the day, we’ll always have each other.” Harrison smiled, tears beginning to well up in his own eyes. He brought Tony’s scarred knuckles to his lips and kissed each one before pulling Tony forward for a quick peck.

“You promise?” Tony asked, his voice quiet but hopeful.

 “I do.” Harrison smiled, rubbing his thumb over his grandparent’s ring that rested on the blond’s ring finger. He’d given it to Tony years, and years ago.

Tony’s smile finally began to return. It was like the sun had finally shown on a cold, clouded day.

The lanky blond leaned forwards to kiss him. Once. Twice. Three times.

The kisses began to last longer and longer.

Kirk, figuring out where this was headed, hopped off Tony’s shoulders and down onto the beanbag chair, getting comfortable in the signature cat loaf-like resting position, only moving when Tony’s shirt was thrown besides him.

The calico hopped from the chair and down onto the shirt, purring and kneading one of many articles of clothing that now littered the floor.

Hours later, Kirk would walk into their room, (knowing full well how to open doors) and plop himself down between the two men. The feline groomed Tony’s hair until he'd become satisfied and joined them both in dreamland.


	4. What's new, Kirk-y-poo?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit. I’m so not ready for this.
> 
> “I warned you, boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more Violence this round, pbbt

“We’ll give you a call, my ass.” Tony muttered as he shoved his hands in his pant pocket to retrieve his Walkman momentarily, pressing play on his literal mix tape as he adjusted the outdated headphones onto his ears. Seemingly, only outdated technology seemed to accept him.

It was officially week three of job hunting and he hadn’t got a single call back.

Wait. Scratch that.

He’d gotten a call back one whole time for a soul sucking call center. But hey, work is work and money is money. He’d been excited when he’d been told a position had opened up, so he’d rushed over, only to be informed it was a janitorial position.

Being a janitor was truly the most noble career, but the pay they’d offered was total dog shit and they only accepted part time employees. What fuckin’ cheapskates.

He’d not so kindly rejected the offer.

The only thing that had kept him from pulling his hair out was the fact that his college had agreed to pay his way through his first year. The blonde’s classes started in the fall, a long while from now, but it was never too early to plan ahead. That’s how he’d gotten his grant.

So, that had been a sigh of relief. He and Harrison still had to worry about all the normal adult shit, though. They’d gotten mostly everything taken care of, driver’s license, new state IDs. Just thinking about the first week they’d moved here was giving him a headache.

He let out an audible sigh and tilted his head back, his breath visible in the crisp air.

His distinct marine blue eyes glanced up at the darkening, clouded sky, feeling little flecks of something cold hit and disappear against his face. It was snowing.

Hopefully he got home before the snow really began to come down.

His aged headphones slid down from their resting place and ended up down against his neck, the cold metal biting at his warm, ivory skin.

Tony frowned and moved his scarred hands up to lift his headphones back up, stopping only when he heard what the only other two people at the bus stop were conversing about.

“…Fucking guy has been nothing but a real pain in the ass since he showed up. I lost my fucking job because of him!” The aged man sneered.

Ah. Tony though he’d recognized his face. He was the man who’d handled the interviews at Manuel’s office.

That was probably also a factor of why he’d been having such a hard time getting a job, lots of people were out of the job. Just like him.

“What, really? Some ‘hero of the people’.” The brunet man next to him spat. “I hear The Spider is a real faggot too. That’s the last thing we need, another que-“

The brunet didn’t get to finish his sentence, suddenly floored by a sucker punch to the jaw.

Tony grimaced, anger aflame in his cold, almost inhuman eyes.

What the fuck!? Why did he do that? He screamed in his head.

They were still plenty of bigots, he’d learned. He ignored most, but something about these two rodeo clowns talking about Peter- The Spider like that, broke his last shred of patience for today.

“What’s your fucking problem?” The ex-employer shoved his shoulders, forcing him to take a step back.

Tony shoved the man back, hating being touched by strangers. “That _faggot_ is out there busting his ass twenty-four seven for a bunch of ungrateful bitches like you!” He growled back.

“I have a fucking family, fuckin’ moron! I lost my job because of _him_! My wife can’t work and we’re running on _fumes_. I don’t owe that shithead anything!” The man yelled, his spite filled words were seemingly aimed at him. Guess they’d both gone to taking out their frustrations out on each other. This wouldn’t end well…

If the bruising pain on his fist was anything to go by, he didn’t see a very positive outcome for himself.

“That’s not his fucking problem! It’s _your_ fault, dipshit! That Ortega guy was a real fuckin’ creep, and you knew it! There was no fuckin’ way that job would’ve ended well for anyone.”

“I thought I recognized you. You were Manny’s little bi-“ The man caught Tony’s fist as it’d been thrown his way.

Before the blond knew it, he had a face full of asphalt.

His nose was definitely bleeding, he could taste it.

He turned to glare at the older man that had pinned his arm to his back. He hissed in pain as the man’s knee began to dig into his spine.

The man who’d gotten his shit rocked from before began to cheer on the ex-employer from the sidelines. “Fuck yeah! Hold him there, just like that.”

The blond could only see the man’s shoes as he made his way over. He tried to escape the hold, only for the elder man to pull his arm back tighter, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut in pain. If he pulled any tighter, he was sure his arm socket would just go _Pop._

Tony peeked one eye open, just in time to see the brunet man start to deliver a kick, headed straight for his face.

He squeezed his eyes shut tight and braced for impact.

…

**Tony stop it, you’re going to get your ass kicked!**

The Spider, Peter, thought.

 _“He decided this for himself. It is none of our concern. Do NOT intervene. There are much more important things we much focus on.”_ She chided, her words floating around aimlessly around in his mind.

He’d watched the vicious interaction, hidden in the shadows of a nearby building. His thoughts conflicted.

**Why is he… defending us? He shouldn’t be fighting for something stupid like that. Half the city would applaud if I was handed the keys to city, the other half would applaud if I were being burned at the stake.**

_“He will learn, one way or another. Leave this place, now.”_ She demanded.

There was a disappointed sigh, unable to stomach the sight of Tony being pinned to the ground.

He threw up his hands in defeat, walking off to the opposite way. He could feel _her_ approval rain over him.

For a split second.

**Here I go. Back on my bullshit.**

He turned on his heel and made a dash off the roof, _thwip_ ing out a web towards the street lamp that hung just above the bus stop.

Peter held onto the web tight, dismay and shockwaves of ringing pain radiated from the Spider Goddess.

Before the brunet’s foot could land the kick, The Spider had swung by, knocking the men away and off the blond.

“Oh… Shit.” Tony breathed out, pushing himself up just in time to see the familiar masked vigilante land into frame.

**Oh shit. I’m so not ready for this.**

_“I warned you, boy.”_

“Can you walk?” The Spider asked, holding out his strong, gloved hand

Tony blinked once, then gained composure. Thanks to all this shit, he’d missed the only bus back home. Looks like he’d have to walk back in the snow. As expected.

Tony didn’t take his hand, choosing instead to stand on his own.

He looked at Peter, his brow furrowed. Clearly, he wasn’t sure how to react either.

He opened his mouth to say something, before shaking his head and turning around.

“Still stubborn, huh?” The Spider seemed amused, though his voice remained mostly monotone.

That wasn’t the right thing to say, apparently.

Tony turned around, eyes narrowed venomously. “You blew my boss’s brains out all over me and fuckin’ _dipped_. So! Sorry if I don’t exactly wanna fucking see you right now.”

“Yeah. That’s uh. That’s… my bad. Sorry.” The Spider rubbed at the back of his head, uncomfortable. He’d began to feel eyes on them.

“Sorry about this too.” He scooped the blond into his arms and began to swing away, attempting to get away from the public’s eye.

“Put me down.” Tony’s cool began to fall. “Put me down! Put me DOWN, motherfucker! Holy fucking shit! Holy fucking FUCK!” He began to shriek into the freezing air whipping past them, panicking and clinging to Peter as though he were about to be dropped at any second.

Peter coughed, Tony’s hold was so strong he could physically feel his ribs _creak._

Peter was about to attempt to calm him down, anything to make that vice like grip go away, only to feel the blond suddenly go limp in his hold. He glanced down.

Tony had passed out.

That was… actually a relief.

The only problem was he hadn’t been able to ask where Tony lived.

**…Shit.**

He could feel the Goddess’ disapproval continue to radiate in waves.

…

The light from the outside world shown against his sleeping form, his impossibly blue eyes fluttering open at the disturbance. His eyes fell close again as soon as they’d opened, turning to curl up against where Harrison was, only to feel something solid and _freezing_ cold.

He jumped at the contact and his eyes shot open. A… window?

His heartbeat picked up as his head whipped around, taking in the foreign surroundings. It was incredibly futuristic and awash in a dark, cold blue. Very cold. Very unlived in. Very… unfeeling.

How fuckin’ dreary.

Tony looked down to see what he was laying on. It was a sort of couch bed that had been built into the wall, right next to one of the only exposed windows. The only place proper sunlight could reach the seemingly unlived in room.

Then again, it wasn’t very sunny outside right now. The sky was bright but covered in a thin sheet of stratus clouds.

One look down at the city below and he could see just how thoroughly everything had gotten coated in snow. He then began to feel dizzy and sick to his stomach, so he quickly looked away. Great. A skyrise apartment.

“Ah, fuck.” He placed his chilled hands against his eyes, trying to get the room to stop spinning.

After getting over the sudden vertigo, he’d gotten up to look around, maybe he’d find Peter. Maybe not, as the apartment was annoyingly quiet.

The blond made his way to the room directly to his left, which lead to a room awash in a vivid red.

Red wasn’t a happy color for him.

It was a room made to develop pictures. Pictures of… Peter? More accurately, The Spider.

… What? He didn’t take Peter for a guy to be so self-centered.

He quickly shut the door, the red had become too much to look at.

Back in the main living room there was one desk and a two computers sides by side along with one singular bookshelf in the corner. There was one cookbook and a white origami crane.

Nothing else. Barren.

There was three other doors. One was more of a doorway to the kitchenette, one was clearly the front door, and the last one was the door Tony had gone to open.

It was a bathroom, just as fancy as he’d been expecting for an expensive looking apartment like this.

Oooh, Peter had such a pristine glass shower.

Don’t mind if I do, Tony thought and perked up.

He didn’t exactly have a change of clothes, so he’d just borrow some of Peter’s.

He dug through the drawers that were built under the bed in the wall, finding mostly sweatpants and t-shirts. In the other drawer, there was his business wear. Ha, he had suspenders. What a fuckin’ nerd.

He grabbed a pair of sweatpants so old he actually recognized them and a plain heather gray shirt.

Back in the bathroom, he’d gone to look himself in the mirror. Seems like Peter had cleaned him up a little, seeing as the remnants of his nosebleed were nowhere to be seen besides his white collared button-up. Tony frowned. Damn. He liked this one the most, it had a little bee embroidered at the ends of the collar.

He tossed his clothes off and made his way to the shower, letting out a pleasant hum as the already heated water with a decent pressure washed over him.

There was muffled _click_.

Tony chose to just keep his back to the door. His very much naked back.

“Oh, I thought you’d be gone by now.” Peter seemed genuinely surprised.

Tony began to scrub shampoo into his hair, hating the fact he loved how it smelled. Like Peter.

“Sorry to fuckin’ disappoint you.” Tony huffed, not as much venom in his words as he’d hoped for.

“I’m on lunchbreak, so like, I can take you home. Or something.”

“Like, sure. Or whatever.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“… Are you just gonna keep staring at my ass, or will you kindly fuck off?”

The door shut in a hurry.

“I wasn’t starting at your fuckin’ ass! I was thinking!”

Tony laughed, he was just giving the dark-haired man a hard time.


End file.
